When Nixon resigned 40 years ago today, my family was vacationing in Door County. My mom and I had been following the hearings all summer. Our vaca rental had a tiny black and white tv. We all huddled around it, agog, to watch his resignation speech.

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Ran out of gas on the New Jersey turnpike by Raritan. Two hippies in VW stopped to help unsolicited.
They went and got the can and the gas. They would not take any money, said "It was a great day in America, Nixon resigned".

I was in the Army at Ft. Bragg. Obviously like everyone had been following the whole thing for months. Looking back, I personally think that might have been one of our finest hours as a nation. Constitutional government worked, no coup, no fuss, no mess. The President stepped down, the VP took over and that was that.

__________________
"Here's to them who would read,
Here's to them that would write.
There's none ever feared that the Truth would be heard,
But those whom the Truth would indict."

We were on our way to a Pink Floyd movie and watched the resignation right before we left the apartment. I remember going to that movie only because of watching the resignation that evening. What a culmination of the previous ten years.

__________________“Would you like an adventure now, or would you like to have your tea first?” J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

I was still in grade school. I remember the teachers huddling the kids into the classroom to watch the Watergate hearings (on a black and white tv of course) saying this is a big part of history and me thinking (great, don't have to attend regular classes).

__________________Have you ever seen a headstone with these words"If only I had spent more time at work" ... from "Busy Man" sung by Billy Ray Cyrus

Unlike some more notable events like JFK assassination, lunar landing, and the space shuttle disasters I don't have a specific recollection but I'm sure I was at our family's summer home since we spent each summer there.

And I agree that the peaceful transition of power was one of our finest moments.

I recall the hullabaloo about President Ford pardoning President Nixon. Even though it was unpopular and likely caused him to lose re-election, in retrospect it was wise and enabled the country to move on and put Nixon and Watergate in the rear view mirror.

With some buddy's down by the river fishing and drinking Boone's Farm. No celebration or feeling of anything special. Later I realized how enlightened we were that we knew they're all a bunch of crooks anyway.

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Just plodding along on Dividends/Interest, SS and a small pension.

Thirteen at the time and remember watching on the old B&W Ford Philco with my parents. The importance of the success of the democratic process was lost on me at the time but agree that it was in many ways a great thing. How utterly stupid. Seems to have set the stage for much of the politics to this day.

Maxwell AFB in Alabama, attending a military education program. Gathered around the TV with some classmates. We all marveled at how appropriate it was, and we gave RMN high marks for having the courage to do what he did. Made no difference what we thought of him or his presidency; we just admired the act of resignation and how smooth it seemed to be.

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